THE JEWISH COMMUNITY in ROME IFSA Rome
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COURSE SYLLABUS THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN ROME IFSA Rome US semester credit hours: 3 Contact Hours: 45 Course Code: HST386-03 / RL386-03 Course Length: Semester Delivery Method: Face to face Language of Instruction: English Suggested Cross-listings: History, Religion COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will explore the history of the Jewish community in Rome, the oldest one in Europe and one of the oldest continuous Jewish settlements in the world. The presence of a Jewish community in Rome dates back to at least the first century BC, and, despite dark moments such as the creation of the Ghetto during the Renaissance and the tragic promulgation of the racial laws in 1938 and subsequent deportation during World War II, it contributed to shape the city of Rome and its culture as it is today. In this course, students will utilize historical, artistic, and anthropological sources to learn in situ in the Jewish ghetto about the historical and religious events that have shaped it. COURSE DELIVERY The course is delivered in thematic units, as described in the Course Outline below. Selected class sessions will be delivered in situ in the Jewish ghetto of Rome. The course instructor will designate these sessions at the start of the course. Students are expected to read or view assigned resources in advance and be prepared to actively discuss them in class. In most meetings, the instructor will overview the topic and then facilitate a group discussion, drawing out relevant themes, following up on specific lines of inquiry, and prompting students’ thoughtful engagement with the topic. Students are encouraged to bring their prior learning experiences into class discussions (based on experiential learning theory) and to make cognitive connections between this course and others in the IFSA Program whenever possible (based on the philosophy of integrative learning). STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students who successfully complete this course will: • Know the history of the Jewish community in Rome • Become aware of Jewish lifeway throughout the centuries • Expand their knowledge of the concept of “ghetto” • Become aware of the formation of Jewish stereotypes • Discuss the relationship between Jews and the culture of the city of Rome COURSE SYLLABUS • Identify specific buildings and monuments in the city of Rome and relate them to the history of the Jewish community in Rome • Develop critical reading skills • Demonstrate increased cultural and intercultural awareness • Compose successful papers, that defend arguments with the support of text-based evidence • Become familiar with resources available for further research on the Jewish community in Rome • Make cognitive connections between learning in this course and other learning experiences in IFSA Rome COURSE OUTLINE Week 1 – Introduction to course and topic Session 1: Introductions o Overview of Course o Syllabus Review o Instructor and Student Introductions; Build Community o Personal Student Goals for the Course o Instructor and Student Expectations Session 2: Introduction to the Jewish presence in Italy o Overview of the Jewish presence in Italy: first evidences and the Roman Pagan Era Electronic resources: 1. Timeline of Jewish History in Italy https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/timeline-of-jewish-history-in-italy 2. History of Jewish presence in Italy http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/italy-virtual-jewish-history-tour#freedom 3. Jewish trade in the Mediterranean Sea Rosenberg, David M. Il Ghetto: Forging Italian Jewish Identities, pp. 3-6. Week 2 - The Jewish community in Ancient Rome o Jewish communities of ancient Rome o The Jews as the Roman authors saw them o The Greeks and the Jews in Ancient Rome o Semitic Inscriptions in Rome Donfried, Karl P, and Peter Richardson. Judaism and Christianity (excerpts) o Life under the Emperors Cecil Roth, The History of the Jews of Italy, pp. 20-28. Week 3 - Field Visit #1: Rome and Ostia Antica (logistical details and expectations for the field visit to be provided by the instructor). COURSE SYLLABUS o The Arch of Titus, and the Monteverde Jewish Catacombs In preparation for the field visit, read: Steven Fine, The Menorah: From the Bible to Modern Israel, excerpts from pp. 1-40. Dello Russo, Jessica. The Monteverde Jewish Catacombs on the via Portuense (excerpts). o Ostia antica: The Synagogue of Ancient Ostia In preparation for the field visit, read: Olsson, and others. The Synagogue of Ancient Ostia (excerpts). Week 4 – Medieval Rome: Popes and Jews o Sicut Iudaeis: The Jews are taken under papal protection Rebecca Rist, Popes and Jews, 1095–1291 Chapter 1: “Jewish Ideas about Papacy” (pp. 28-65). Chapter 7: “The City of Rome” (pp. 226-245). Champagne, Marie Thérèse and Ra'anan S. Boustan. “Walking in the Shadows of the Past,” pp. 52-82. *** Quiz 1*** Week 5 – The Creation of the Ghetto o The word ghetto Debenedetti-Stow, Sandra. “The Etymology of ‘Ghetto’: New Evidence from Rome,” pp. 79-85. Benjamin C. Ravid, “From Geographical Realia to Historiographical Symbol,” pp. 373‐385. o A brief overview on the first ghetto in Venice Rosenberg, David M. Il Ghetto: Forging Italian Jewish Identities, pp. 7-8. o The new ghetto in Rome Rosenberg, David M. Il Ghetto: Forging Italian Jewish Identities, pp. 23-24, 27. o Cum nimis Absurdum, The Pope revokes all the rights of the Jewish community Kenneth Stow, Catholic Thought and Papal Jewry Policy, pp. 291-298. o Representations of the Jews at the times of the Ghetto: Shakespeare’s Shylock Pullan, Brian S. “Shakespeare's Shylock: Evidence from Venice,” pp. 193-208. Film screening: The Merchant of Venice (2004), directed by Michael Radford (selections) Week 6 – Life in the Ghetto COURSE SYLLABUS o Jewish Perception of the Pope’s measures o Preserving Jewish identity in a hostile environment o Life in the Ghetto Kenneth Stow, Theater of Acculturation, pp. 3-38 and 39-66 (selections). Week 7 – Rome and the Jews during the Renaissance o The Role of Jews in the Early Modern Carnival of Rome Åsa Boholm, “Christian Construction of the Other,” pp. 37-52. o Michelangelo and the portrait of Moses Stephen Bertman, “The Antisemitic Origin of Michelangelo's Horned Moses,” pp. 95-106. Asher D. Biemann, Dreaming of Michelangelo, pp. 27-35, 37-77. *** Mid-term Exam *** *** deadline for research paper topic*** Week 8 – Opening the gates and renewal of the Ghetto o The Jews during the Risorgimento Di Napoli, Thomas P. The Italian Jewish Experience, pp. 107-115. o The Emancipation of the Jews Cecil Roth, The History of the Jews of Italy, pp. 474-489. Week 9 – Field Visit #2 – The Ghetto and the Systine Chapel (logistical details and expectations for the field visit to be provided by the instructor). Visit to the Ghetto and the Sistine Chapel. In particular, in the Ghetto we will explore: the Great Synagogue, the Jewish museum and the Spanish Temple, the fountain of the turtles, Teatro Marcello (the "small Colosseum") and Portico d'Ottavia o The new synagogue L. Scott Lerner, "Narrating over the Ghetto of Rome," pp. 1-38. *** Book Review, duedate*** Week 10 – Roman Jews Under Fascism o Mussolini and fascist anti-Semitism Di Napoli, Thomas P. The Italian Jewish Experience, pp. 133-140. o Nationalisms and internationalism: the response of Italian Jews to fascism Di Napoli, Thomas P. The Italian Jewish Experience, pp. 141-154. Film screening: Concorrenza Sleale (2001) Week 11 – Italian Jews and the holocaust (I) COURSE SYLLABUS o Vatican-Jewish Relations during the war “The Baptized Rabbi of Rome,” in Robert G. Weisbord and Wallace P. Sillanpoa, The Chief Rabbi, the Pope, and the Holocaust, pp. 127-146. o The Di Veroli family in the Roman ghetto “A Family of the Ghetto: The Di Verolis of Rome” in Alexander Stille, Benevolence and Betrayal, pp. 167-222, 325-335. *** Quiz 2*** Week 12 – Italian Jews and the holocaust (II) o Giorgio Goldenberg, and Gino Bartali: how Italy saved its Jews Documentary: My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes Week 13 – Roman Jewish after the War o The myth of the good Italian: making peace with postwar Italy Klein, Shira. Italy's Jews: From Emancipation to Fascism, pp. 204-227. o Reflections on the Priebke Affair on massacres, trials, history and memory Di Napoli, Thomas P. The Italian Jewish Experience, pp. 117-126. Week 14 – Final Presentations o This week will be devoted to final presentations. Students’ final presentation is based on their research papers Week 15 – Roman Jewish today o Jewish food and Roman cuisine Cooking demonstration of Jewish-Roman cuisine at the Instituto Pitigliani - Italian Jewish Community Center (logistical details and expectations for the field visit to be provided by the instructor) o Content Review o Concluding Questions and Comments o Course evaluations *** Final Exam*** RESOURCES Required texts: Cecil Roth, The History of the Jews of Italy (available online) COURSE SYLLABUS Recommended readings: Gregorovius, Ferdinand, and Moses Hadas. The Ghetto and the Jews of Rome. New York: Schocken Books, 1966. Print. Media resources: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ for a quick overview of the considered historical period https://museoitaloamericano.org/wp-content/uploads/Ghetto-Guide.pdf for in-situ information http://www.pitigliani.it/menu.aspx?id=100 the Italian Jewish Community Center website Movies: Unfair Competition (Concorrenza sleale) (2001) directed by Ettore Scola The Merchant of Venice (2004), directed by Michael Radford COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY Bertman, Stephen. "The Antisemitic Origin of Michelangelo's Horned Moses" in Shofar 27.4 (2009), pp. 95-106. Print. Biemann, Asher D. Dreaming of Michelangelo: Jewish Variations on a Modern Theme. Stanford: Standford University Press, 2012. Print. Boholm, Åsa. "Christian Construction of the Other: The Role of Jews in the Early Modern Carnival of Rome," Journal of Mediterranean Studies 24,1 (2015), pp. 37-52. Print. Champagne, Marie Thérèse and Ra'anan S. Boustan. "Walking in the Shadows of the Past: The Jewish Experience of Rome in the Twelfth Century," in Rome Re-Imagined: Twelfth- Century Jews, Christians and Muslims Encounter the Eternal City.